Valve has detailed the prototype Steam Machines it will be sending out to 300 Steam users later this year.
“For our own first prototype Steam Machine, we’ve chosen to build something special,” Valve said in a Steam Community blog post. “The prototype machine is a high-end, high-performance box, built out of off-the-shelf PC parts. It is also fully upgradable, allowing any user to swap out the GPU, hard drive, CPU, even the motherboard if you really want to.
“Apart from the custom enclosure, anyone can go and build exactly the same machine by shopping for components and assembling it themselves. And we expect that at least a few people will do just that. (We’ll also share the source CAD files for our enclosure, in case people want to replicate it as well.)”
The machine consists of:
- GPU: some units with NVidia Titan, some GTX780, some GTX760, and some GTX660
- CPU: some boxes with Intel i7-4770, some i5-4570, and some i3
- RAM: 16GB DDR3-1600 (CPU), 3GB GDDR5 (GPU)
- Storage: 1TB/8GB Hybrid SSHD
- Power Supply: Internal 450w 80Plus Gold
- Dimensions: approx. 12 x 12.4 x 2.9 in high
Prototypes aren’t “finished enough” to share a photo, Valve said, but we’ll see what they look like before they’re shipped.
Steam Machines will be available next year and made by a “variety” of companies. The hardware specs of each machine will differ, according to Valve, and in many cases “substantially” different from the prototype.